Police to charge girl for falsely accusing Hispanic man of rape

A 17-year-old Avella girl told state police that she was asssaulted and raped Monday afternoon at Cross Creek County Park in Cross Creek Township by a man she met earlier the day on a social networking site.

The girl told Trooper Thomas Kress she met the man on the Tango social networking website and agreed to meet him at the park.

“He saw her posts about being from Avella,” Kress said. “He seemed familiar with the area because he mentioned about the park being there.”

The 17-year-old walked to the park and met him. They walked down a path when he reportedly hit her on the head, dragged her into a wooded area and raped her.

After the alleged assault, he ran. A woman with graying hair who appeared to be in her 50s wearing a sundress may have heard the assault.

“She came over to the girl’s aid as soon as he ran,” Kress said. “She may have seen part of the assault. The girl told me she thought she heard someone screaming.”

Kress said the woman tried to call police on her cellphone but could not because there was no reception. The good Samaritan offered to give the girl a ride home, but she declined, Kress said.

The teen described her attacker as a light-skinned, Hispanic man in his 20s. He was about 6 feet tall, weighed 200 pounds with blue eyes, brown, shoulder-length hair, mustache and short-cropped beard.

The teen told police her assailant spoke in English with slurred speech or spoke in Spanish. He had yellow teeth with gaps.

The 17-year-old also told police he had a tattoo of the letter “A” on his right hand between his index finger and thumb. The letter “L” was tattooed on the same area of his left hand. The girl told Kress the “A” was italicized while the “L” was cursive. He also had a tattoo of a skull without a lower jaw on his left shoulder blade. A cross was tattooed on the right part of his chest.

The girl’s attacker wore a black ball cap with a purple bill, black T-shirt with a silver marking on it, blue jeans, black belt and tan Nike shoes with white soles. He drove a 2008 or 2009 Ford Explorer with a lift kit and a loud muffler.

The girl, who also was bitten on the neck during the assault, was taken to Washington Hospital for treatment of injuries that also included abdominal pain.

Kress is asking anyone who may have seen the man or the vehicle, or knows the woman who assisted the teen, to call 724-223-5200.

The man has been located and questioned, but no charges have been filed, police said in a report released Friday. His name was not released by state police, who said the investigation is ongoing.

The girl told police she met the man on the Tango social networking website and agreed to meet him at the park. They walked down a path when he reportedly hit her on the head, dragged her into a wooded area and raped her. After the alleged assault, he ran.

The teen described her attacker as a light-skinned, Hispanic man in his 20s. He was about 6 feet tall, weighed 200 pounds with blue eyes, brown, shoulder-length hair, mustache and short-cropped beard. The teen told police her assailant spoke in English with slurred speech or spoke in Spanish. The 17-year-old also told police he had a tattoo of the letter “A” on his right hand between his index finger and thumb. The letter “L” was tattooed on the same area of his left hand. He also had a tattoo of a skull without a lower jaw on his left shoulder blade. A cross was tattooed on the right part of his chest.

The girl, who also was bitten on the neck during the assault, was taken to Washington Hospital for treatment of injuries that also included abdominal pain._____________________________________________APRIL 29, 2015

Avella teen who claimed she was raped to be charged

The 17-year-old Avella girl who claimed she was raped earlier this month at Cross Creek County Park will be charged by state police after she allegedly lied about the incident to investigators.

The girl will be charged in a juvenile allegation with unsworn falsification to authorities and false reports to law enforcement.Trooper Thomas Kress talked last week with the man against whom the allegations were made. Kress said the man, who is not being identified, committed no crimes and will not be charged.

The girl told state police that she was raped at the park on April 8. She claimed that she met the man online earlier that day on a social media site and made arrangements to meet him.

The 17-year-old claimed that the two talked briefly before walking toward a wooded area. She told police that the man hit her in the head, dragged her into the woods and raped her. She gave police a detailed description of the man she claimed attacked her. The teen also told police that she was assisted by a woman with graying hair and wearing a sundress, telling Kress that the woman offered to give the girl a ride home.

After the alleged assault, she was taken to Washington Hospital for treatment of injuries including abdominal pain.

Crime Stoppers of Pennsylvania had also offered a reward for information on the alleged assault.

Kress would not comment on why the girl lied about the incident. He said he would file charges against the girl in juvenile court at a later date.